NKS-331 ISBN 978-87-7893-412-3

SemUnaRS –

Seminar on Unmanned Radiometric Systems

Magnus Gårdestig1

Roy Pöllänen2

Thomas Bandur Aleksandersen3

1Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

2STUK − Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland

3Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority

February 2015

Abstract There are several scenarios related to ionizing radiation or the release of radioac-tive materials where the use of unmanned vehicles certainly reduce the risk of receiving high doses to the personnel performing measurements. Other advan-tages are low costs of the equipment, operation, maintenance and services. The seminar on unmanned radiometric systems was held in October 2014. The seminar was dedicated to presentations on the status of unmanned mobile measurement capacities in the Nordic countries. An introduction to the topic of unmanned measurements covered some examples on systems of unmanned aerial, rotary and fixed wing, systems as well as ground based systems. A short description was given on the work of ERNCIP. Linköping University presented their considerations on their ongoing develop-ment of unmanned gamma-ray spectrometry systems and presented their rotary wing and fixed wing platforms developed by Claes Meijer. STUK presented their experience to develop radiation monitoring instrumentation to unmanned aerial vehicles. A set of radiation detectors and a sampling unit was mounted to a mid-size Ranger military UAV. A lightweight sampler and a gamma-ray detector was installed to a small-size fixed-wing UAV. Extensive tests were done for both set of instruments. On the second day of the seminar there was time scheduled for open discussions on the way forward for Nordic collaborations regarding unmanned mobile meas-urements. The seminar revealed that the Nordic capacities of unmanned mobile measure-ments are diverse, but no country has a system operating today. Each country have different strategies on how to meet this demand; university research, mili-tary collaboration or procuring turn-key systems. There is a need for continued and concerted activities to strengthen the Nordic knowledge and capacities in the field of unmanned mobile measurements. Key words Unmanned mobile measurements, UAS, UAV, air sampling, emergency prepar-edness NKS-331 ISBN 978-87-7893-412-3 Electronic report, February 2015 NKS Secretariat P.O. Box 49 DK - 4000 Roskilde, Denmark Phone +45 4677 4041 www.nks.org e-mail nks@nks.org

SemUnaRS – Seminar on Unmanned Radiometric Systems

Final Report from the NKS-B SemUnaRS (Contract: AFT/B(14)9)

Magnus Gårdestig1

Roy Pöllänen2

Thomas Bandur Aleksandersen3

1Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences,

Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. 2STUK Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland

3Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority

Table of contents

Page

Abstract i

Disclaimer ii

Acknowledgement ii

Introduction 1

The seminar 1

Discussions 2

Conclusions 4

References 4

Appendix 1. Seminar programme 5

Appendix 2. Abstracts 7

Appendix 3. Seminar participants 23

i

Abstract

There are several scenarios related to ionizing radiation or the release of radioactive materials

where the use of unmanned vehicles certainly reduce the risk of receiving high doses to the

personnel performing measurements. Other advantages are low costs of the equipment,

operation, maintenance and services.

The seminar on unmanned radiometric systems was held in October 2014. The seminar was

dedicated to presentations on the status of unmanned mobile measurement capacities in the

Nordic countries.

An introduction to the topic of unmanned measurements covered some examples on systems

of unmanned aerial, rotary and fixed wing, systems as well as ground based systems. A short

description was given on the work of ERNCIP.

Linköping University presented their considerations on their ongoing development of

unmanned gamma-ray spectrometry systems and presented their rotary wing and fixed wing

platforms developed by Claes Meijer.

STUK presented their experience to develop radiation monitoring instrumentation to

unmanned aerial vehicles. A set of radiation detectors and a sampling unit was mounted to a

mid-size Ranger military UAV. A lightweight sampler and a gamma-ray detector was

installed to a small-size fixed-wing UAV. Extensive tests were done for both set of

instruments.

On the second day of the seminar there was time scheduled for open discussions on the way

forward for Nordic collaborations regarding unmanned mobile measurements.

The seminar revealed that the Nordic capacities of unmanned mobile measurements are

diverse, but no country has a system operating today. Each country have different strategies

on how to meet this demand; university research, military collaboration or procuring turn-key

systems.

There is a need for continued and concerted activities to strengthen the Nordic knowledge and

capacities in the field of unmanned mobile measurements.

ii

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this document remain the responsibility of the author(s) and do not

necessarily reflect those of NKS. In particular, neither NKS nor any other organization or

body supporting NKS activities can be held responsible for the material presented in this

report.

Acknowledgements

NKS conveys its gratitude to all organizations and persons who by means of financial support

or contributions in kind have made the work presented in this report possible.

1

Introduction

There are several scenarios related to ionizing radiation or the release of radioactive materials

that may cause severe consequences to individuals or to the environment. Among these are for

example severe nuclear reactor accidents, such as happened in Chernobyl and Fukushima, the

use of radiological dispersal devices, RDDs, to throw off radioactive materials into the

environment or searching highly radioactive materials out of regulatory control, MORC. In

these cases the use of unmanned (aerial) vehicles certainly reduce the risk of receiving high

doses to the personnel performing the measurements. Other advantages are low costs of the

equipment, operation, maintenance and services.

Radioactive plume tracking, sampling of airborne materials, fallout mapping, location and

manipulation of highly-radioactive point sources (MORC or RDD) on the ground, underwater

source finding etc. are the areas in which unmanned vehicles may provide substantial benefits

compared to manned vehicles. During recent years there has been a substantial development

especially in unmanned aerial vehicles. The possibility of using miniaturized equipment and

development of aviation legislation have led to a variety of platforms. In addition, modern

data transfer technologies will open up novel possibilities in radiation surveillance.

The seminar

The seminar on unmanned radiometric systems was held at Vårdnäs stiftsgård in Linköping,

Sweden, October 2nd

and 3rd

of 2014. The seminar was dedicated to presentations on the status

of unmanned mobile measurement capacities in the Nordic countries. Unmanned mobile

measurements is still in research state and there is little published in scientific literature

beyond feasibility studies.

The seminar was the start-up and an inventory of the capacities for unmanned mobile

measurements in the Nordic countries. The seminar hosted discussions on different

approaches to utilize unmanned platforms, aircraft regulations and the collaborations between

universities and the authorities.

An introduction to the topic of unmanned measurements was held by Magnus Gårdestig,

Linköping University, Sweden, covering some examples on systems of unmanned aerial,

rotary and fixed wing, systems as well as ground based systems. A short description was

given on the work of the thematic group on Radiological and Nuclear threats to critical

infrastructure under the European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection,

ERNCIP.

Linköping University presented their considerations on their ongoing development of

unmanned gamma-ray spectrometry systems and presented their rotary wing and fixed wing

platforms developed by Claes Meijer. Claes Meijer presented a review of the concept of

unmanned aircraft systems.

Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK) presented their experience to

develop radiation monitoring instrumentation to unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs. Two types

of platforms were used for the payload: A set of radiation detectors and a sampling unit was

mounted to a mid-size Ranger military UAV. A lightweight sampler and a gamma-ray

detector was installed to a small-size fixed-wing UAV. Extensive tests were done for both set

of instruments.

2

Peder Kock, SSM, Sweden presented an exercise on mobile measurements of a simulated

nuclear fall-out held outside Lund, Sweden 29th

of September to 2nd

of October 2014.

Two fields were contaminated with 18

F and 99m

Tc, the activity concentration being in the

order of 1 MBq/m2. The surface activities were assessed by eight field teams with HPGe-

spectrometers calibrated for in-situ measurements. Combined, the teams used three different

calibrations. Assessments within 30% were acceptable. The in-situ measurements were

compared to grass and soil samples.

Mobile measurements were performed with cars on large simulated fall-out areas.

The abstracts are in Appendix 2.

Discussions

On the second day of the seminar there was time scheduled for open discussions on the way

forward for Nordic collaborations regarding unmanned mobile measurements.

There is a funding opportunity from the European Commission in the Horizon 2020

programme, section Fight against crime and Terrorism, topic FCT-3-2015: Forensics topic 3:

Mobile, remotely controlled technologies to examine a crime scene in case of an accident or a

terrorist attack involving CBRNE materials (Horizon 2020, 2015), that is applicable for the

topic. The participants of the seminar find this interesting, but concluded that, at this stage,

there is no possibility to make any contribution to a call in this context.

The purpose of the SemUnaRS activity is to stimulate the planning process for the Nordic

countries’ development of unmanned aircraft radiometric systems, UARS. Future activities

and proposals to NKS were discussed and the seminar concluded to propose to NKS the next

step in the Nordic activities on unmanned mobile radiometric systems.

The seminar strongly agreed on the need of ongoing collaboration to facilitate development of

unmanned capacities in the Nordic countries. The seminar therefore assigned Magnus

Gårdestig, Linköping University, Sweden, as a coordinator to write the NKS-B proposal RUN

– Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Radiometric Systems in the Nordic countries.

The aim is that the roadmap will assist Nordic Radiation Protection Authorities in their long-

term strategy planning.

The questions to be resolved and reach consensus about is e.g.:

Which RN scenarios would be solved with Unmanned Aircraft Radiometric Systems,

UARS? Why is this needed?

What is the expected impact on existing organizations?

Which are the critical parameters to be met?

Which platforms, detection systems and personnel competencies are necessary to

provide these capacities?

How will these capacities be tested?

Who will develop, use and maintain these capacities?

When could these capacities be available?

Which aircraft regulations needs to be considered?

Which standards are adequate? Data formats. Integration to reachback systems

(remote expert support).

3

How could cross border assistance be arranged?

What sampling requirements need to be met? E.g. gaseous or particulates, real-time

monitoring of the sample.

Beside gamma-ray spectrometry, is there a need to measure n- and β-fields?

Other possible detection technologies?

What planning, presentation and analysis software need to be developed?

The outcome of the activity is the roadmap which could be implemented by the Nordic

countries in concerted actions according to their resources. The continuation of the Nordic

collaboration is a joint exercise of these implementations.

The end goal of all these activities is a strengthened Nordic RN preparedness with the

capacities of unmanned measurements and sampling.

The development of the roadmap

The roadmap development will be divided into editing sessions with an intermediate open

seminar with possible demonstrations. The proposers represent university, authority and

contingency agency. The workgroup will also invite the Nordic defense forces, police and

other important stakeholders. All of these categories from the Nordic countries will be invited

to the open seminar.

Stakeholders will be invited to the seminar where the outline of the roadmap will be presented

and discussed. The roadmap draft will be sent to the authorities in the Nordic countries for

comments. The outcome of the activity is the roadmap document which each Nordic country,

or in collaboration, could implement in practice according to their resources.

Building an informal network of stakeholders, scientists, authorities and young scientists in

the area of interest is of importance for the Nordic radiation protection community.

4

Conclusions

The SemUnaRS seminar revealed that the Nordic capacities of unmanned mobile

measurements are diverse among the Nordic countries, but no country has an operating

system today. Each country have different strategies on how to meet this demand; university

research, military collaboration or procuring turn-key systems.

There is a need for continued and concerted activities to strengthen the Nordic knowledge and

capacities in the field of unmanned mobile measurements.

References

Horizon 2020, (2015): Forensics topic 3: Mobile, remotely controlled technologies to

examine a crime scene in case of an accident or a terrorist attack involving CBRNE materials.

R. a. Innovation. European Commission, European Commission. H2020-FCT-2015.

5

Appendix 1 Seminar programme

Day 1 Thursday 2nd

October

Time Title of presentation Presenter

12- Registration

12:00-13:00 Lunch

13:00-13:15 Opening of the seminar Magnus Gårdestig

Tour de Table, introduction of

participants/institutions

All

Scope and Agenda of the Meeting Magnus Gårdestig

NKS introduction Kasper Andersen

14:00-14:30 Introduction to the field and information on the

ERNCIP thematic group on Radiological

Threats to Critical Infrastructure

Magnus Gårdestig

14:30-15:00 Development of radiation surveillance

equipment in STUK for unmanned aerial

vehicles

Roy Pöllänen

Coffee break

15:30 Considerations in the development of small

UARS – Unmanned Aircraft Radiometric

Systems

Magnus Gårdestig

16:00 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Claes Meijer

6

Day 2 Friday 3rd

October

Time Title of presentation Presenter

07:00- Breakfast

09:00 Operational considerations regarding the use of

unmanned vehicles for radiation surveillance in

Finland

Petri Smolander

Preliminary conclusions from the LÄRMÄT -14

exercise

Peder Kock

10:00 Coffee break

Open discussions All

Future NKS Proposals

Horizon 2020, FCT-3-2015: Forensics topic 3:

Mobile, remotely controlled technologies to

examine a crime scene in case of an accident or a

terrorist attack involving CBRNE materials

12:00-12:30 Closing of the seminar Magnus Gårdestig

12:30 Lunch

Departures

7

Appendix 2 Abstracts

Introduction to the field and information on the ERNCIP thematic group on RN

Threats to Critical Infrastructure

Magnus Gårdestig

Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences,

Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. magnus.gardestig@liu.se

Introduction

RN preparedness and measurements capacities have evolved based on the major incidents that

have occurred; Three Mile Island 1979 emphasized the preparedness around the NPPs,

Chernobyl 1986 gave new insights that it could grow to a global concern quite rapidly, the

attack on World Trade Center 2001 increased the preparedness for malevolent actions while

Fukushima-Daiichi 2011 once again set the focus on nuclear emissions. Over the years,

incidents with orphan sources, so called MORC, radioactive Material out of Regulatory

Control, have occurred and placed great demands on measurements capacities. The RN

preparedness appears to be incident-driven.

Unmanned measurements

There are several measurement and sampling scenarios that may constitute very high risks for

humans to carry out, e.g. reactor accidents, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, RDDs

(radiological dispersal devices) before and after explosion, search of MORC, or search inside

buildings that are under the threat of collapsing. Other scenarios call for dull and time

consuming measurements like ground dispersion mapping. For these scenarios remote

controlled radiation measurements and sampling using unmanned aircraft systems need to be

developed.

When forensic considerations are necessary, unmanned measurements could have less risk of

cross contamination. Cover materials of the vehicle need to be easily decontaminated or

replaced.

General considerations related to unmanned measurements depend on which quantity is

measured (dose rate, cps, energy spectra), and if the data is transmitted or only stored locally.

Gain stabilization of spectrometer is important, since conditions may change rapidly during

the flight (thermal insulation of detector module could be considered). The nature of the

mission decides on the optimal detector size, or multiple sizes and/or multiple types of

detectors. Hence, limitations in payload set the preferred tasks for the systems.

The system’s tolerance to weather conditions sets how many days per year it is usable. There

could be a need for operation in darkness.

Automatic analysis of data, e.g. source localization, assessment of activity or surface

concentration or autonomous tracking of release plume or nuclide specific activity

concentrations in air etc. could be done onboard or by the control station when having two-

way communication.

In the last years, several light weight (50-500 g) spectrometers have been developed and

offered to the market. CZT and CsI seem to be the detection materials of choice in this

category. When using scintillation spectrometers, NaI, LaBr e.g., when able to carry a payload

over 1000 g, several PMT base MCA are offered. They have a different set of features, e.g.

list mode acquisition and weight. A 100 g lighter MCA give room for more battery power and

hence operating time.

8

Wireless communication between the RW and the ground station is crucial and the range

could be increased by using other RWs as relays in a mesh network (Hening, Baumgartner et

al. 2013). Sampling using RW could be done with the use of manipulators1 (Hooper 2014,

Hunt, Mitzalis et al. 2014) and air or dust sampling could be done to track and map release

plumes (Kosmatka, Hong et al. 2011).

The precision in position determination, in particular the altitude, is crucial in the calculation

of the source activities or surface activities. Therefore any precision enhancement system is

welcome. Differential GPS or RTK, Real Time Kinematics, have been used and has

developed to affordable systems with redundancy. Precision down to inch level is possible.

MDA obsession

There have been a trend for the measurements systems in the hunt for low MDA, Minimum

Detectable Activity, requiring large detectors. But in the high dose rate scenarios large

detectors tend to overflow the electronics and thus require longer distances, whilst smaller

detectors could operate in higher dose rate conditions. Given unmanned carriers the detectors

could come closer for lower MDA if necessary.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Unmanned Aircraft System, UAS, an expansion of UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, is a

common concept for remotely piloted or autonomous operated aircraft including control

system, whilst the term drone is more common for armed and military unmanned aircraft.

Recently, the concept RPAS, remotely piloted aerial systems, have, mainly in the hobbyist

community, complemented UAS and emphasizes less on the autonomy.

Rotary wing

Rotary wing UAS (RW) is different from Fixed wing UAS (FW) in the following aspects:

RW operates more directly in 3D (3 dimensions).

RW can hover.

RW have the ability to descend closer to the source and reduce the distance and extend

the measurement time and hence reduce the MDA (Minimum Detectable Activity).

RW are more complicated to use as air samplers since the air flow is more fluctuating.

RW has relatively shorter operating endurance and payload capacities.

RW is relatively more sensitive to weather conditions.

RW can be separated in two main categories; heavy, petrol driven, helicopters that are under

stricter regulations and lighter, electrically driven, tri-, quad-, hexa- or octocopters that are

easier accessible.

The variety of innovative RW platforms is infinite and opens the possibilities to find an

ultimate RW for any application. An overview of 132 different UAS and research on the

platform can be found in Cai, Dias et al. 2014.

There are several examples of feasibility studies that a light enough detector-battery

combination could be carried by a RW and perform measurements (Bogatov, Mazny et al.

2013, Bristol 2013, MacFarlane, Payton et al. 2014) and illustrate the usability of RW as

1 http://youtu.be/DyAvbq8o7xI

9

radiation measurement platform (Okuyama, Torii et al. 2005, 2008, Gårdestig and Pettersson

2011, 2012, Reavis 2011, Towler, Krawiec et al. 2012, Han, Xu et al. 2013).

Fixed wing

Unmanned aerial fixed wing vehicles range from micro-UAVs with a 15 cm wingspan and a

payload capacity of a few grams to wingspan of 35 m and a payload capacity of 2000 kg.

Endurance, operational range and flight altitude comparable to, or even better than,

conventional aircraft are available. Many manufacturers offer payloads for NBC (nuclear,

biological, chemical) reconnaissance. Information about these payloads is, however, very

limited and usually not published.

RN-payloads include capabilities for sampling and radiation spectrometry. Real-time link to

operation control is important.

Air sampling

Air contamination can be gaseous or aerosol particles which decide your air sampling method.

Particulate sampling should be isokinetic. This should be valid throughout the relevant air

speed range. The optimal sample volume depends on the activity concentration.

In many cases on-line monitoring of sampling would be useful. Ability to link the results from

the on-line spectrometry and the off-line analysis of samples would be important.

Capability to start and stop sampling during the flight would also be useful.

STUK has developed an air sampler for mounting on a mini-UAV and it collects airborne

radioactive particles (Perajarvi, Lehtinen et al. 2008). The minimum detectable concentrations

of several transuranium nuclides are ~ 0.3 Bq/m3 or less using direct alpha spectrometry. This

information can be obtained within 2 h from the beginning of the sampling.

Unmanned Ground Systems

Unmanned ground systems can operate in areas with high radiation or danger of explosives

(e.g. BLEVE: boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion or IED, improvised explosive

device), in collapsing structures, booby trap, heat etc.

Unmanned ground systems have the ability to take samples by swiping and to manipulate the

environment on long-time surveys in contaminated areas, probing i n problematic

environments and conditions, monitor the movements of a threat and provide real-time data

from multiple mobile sensor sources. (Rohling, Bruggemann et al. 2009, Schneider and

Wildermuth 2011, Schneider, Welle et al. 2012)

For actuation and navigation there are laser systems for scanning the environment with a laser

scanner to plan collision free trajectories.

ERNCIP

The ERNCIP Office (European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection) has

established a thematic group on Radiological and Nuclear Threats to critical infrastructure

(RN Thematic Group) (ERNCIP) which looks at issues such as certification of radiation

detectors, standardization of deployment protocols, response procedures and communication

to the public, e.g. in the event of criminal or unauthorized acts involving nuclear or other

radioactive material out of regulatory control.

The RN Thematic Group works with the following three issues:

10

1. List-mode data acquisition based on digital electronics. Time-stamped list-mode data

format produces significant added value compared to the more conventional spectrum

data format. It improves source localization, allows signal-to-noise optimization, noise

filtering, with some new gamma and neutron detectors actually requiring list-mode

data to function. The list-mode approach also allows precise time synchronization of

multiple detectors enabling simultaneous singles and coincidence spectrometry such as

singles gamma and UV-gated gamma spectrometry.

2. Expert support of field teams, i.e. data moves instead of people and samples. Fast and

high quality response can be achieved with less people. Optimal formats and protocols

are needed for efficient communication between frontline officers and reachback

center.

3. Remotely controlled radiation measurements and sampling using unmanned vehicles.

There are several measurement and sampling scenarios that are too risky for humans to

carry out. Applications envisaged are: reactor and other accidents, dirty bombs before

and after explosion, search of nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory

control.

References

Bogatov, S., N. Mazny, A. Pugachev, S. Tkachenko and A. Shvedov (2013). Emergency

radiation survey device onboard the UAV." Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf.

Sci. XL-1/W2: 51-53.

Bristol, U. (2013). First flight for radiation detector, Press release from

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2013/9819.html

Cai, G., J. Dias and L. Seneviratne (2014). A Survey of Small-Scale Unmanned Aerial

Vehicles: Recent Advances and Future Development Trends. Unmanned Systems 02(02):

175-199.

ERNCIP. Radiological and Nuclear Threats to Critical Infrastructure, ERNCIP. https://erncip-

project.jrc.ec.europa.eu/networks/tgs/nuclear

Gårdestig, M. and H. B. L. Pettersson (2011). RadiaCopter – UAS Gamma Spectrometry for

Detection and Identification of Radioactive Sources. NSFS Conference, Reykjavik.

Gårdestig, M. and H. B. L. Pettersson (2012). RadiaCopter – UAS Gamma spectrometry for

detection and identification of radioactive sources. IRPA13 the 13th International Congress of

the International Radiation Protection Association, Glasgow.

Han, J., Y. Xu, L. Di and Y. Chen (2013). Low-cost Multi-UAV Technologies for Contour

Mapping of Nuclear Radiation Field. Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems 70(1-4): 401-

410.

Hening, S., J. Baumgartner, M. Teodorescu, N. Nguyen, T. and C. Ippolito, A. (2013).

Distributed Sampling Using Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Scientific

Missions. AIAA Infotech@Aerospace (I@A) Conference, American Institute of Aeronautics

and Astronautics.

11

Hooper, R. (2014). Drone squirts foam to clean up nuclear waste. New Scientist 222(2968):

21-21.

Hunt, G., F. Mitzalis, T. Alhinai, P. A. Hooper and M. Kovac (2014). 3D printing with flying

robots. Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2014 IEEE International Conference on.

Kosmatka, J. B., T. S. Hong, M. Lega and G. Persechino (2011). Air Quality Plume

Characterization and Tracking using small unmanned aircraft. 2011 National Air Quality

Conferences, San Diego, California, USA.

MacFarlane, J. W., O. D. Payton, A. C. Keatley, G. P. T. Scott, H. Pullin, R. A. Crane, M.

Smilion, I. Popescu, V. Curlea and T. B. Scott (2014). Lightweight aerial vehicles for

monitoring, assessment and mapping of radiation anomalies. Journal of Environmental

Radioactivity 136(0): 127-130.

Okuyama, S.-i., T. Torii, A. Suzuki, M. Shibuya and N. Miyazaki (2008). A Remote

Radiation Monitoring System Using an Autonomous Unmanned Helicopter for Nuclear

Emergencies. Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology 45(sup5): 414-416.

Okuyama, S., T. Torii, Y. Nawa, I. Kinoshita, A. Suzuki, M. Shibuya and N. Miyazaki

(2005). Development of a remote radiation monitoring system using unmanned helicopter.

International Congress Series 1276: 422-423.

Perajarvi, K., J. Lehtinen, R. Pollanen and H. Toivonen (2008). Design of an air sampler for a

small unmanned aerial vehicle. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 132(3): 328-333.

Reavis, B. (2011). Honeywell T-Hawk Aids Fukushima Daiichi Disaster Recovery

Pressrelease Retrieved 2014-12-10, 2014, from

http://honeywell.com/News/Pages/Honeywell-T-Hawk-Aids-Fukushima-Daiichi-Disaster-

Recovery.aspx .

Rohling, T., B. Bruggemann, F. Hoeller and F. E. Schneider (2009). CBRNE hazard detection

with an Unmanned vehicle. 2009 IEEE International Workshop on Safety, Security & Rescue

Robotics (SSRR), vol., no., pp.1,5, 3-6 Nov. 2009, doi: 10.1109/SSRR.2009.5424155

Schneider, F. E., J. Welle, D. Wildermuth and M. Ducke (2012). Unmanned multi-robot

CBRNE reconnaissance with mobile manipulation System description and technical

validation. 13th International Carpathian Control Conference (ICCC), pp.637,642, 28-31 May

2012, doi: 10.1109/CarpathianCC.2012.6228724

Schneider, F. E. and D. Wildermuth (2011). An autonomous unmanned vehicle for CBRNE

reconnaissance. 12th International Carpathian Control Conference (ICCC), Velke Karlovice,

Czech Republic, 25.-28. May 2011

Towler, J., B. Krawiec and K. Kochersberger (2012). "Radiation Mapping in Post-Disaster

Environments Using an Autonomous Helicopter." Remote Sensing 4(12): 1995-2015.

12

Development of radiation surveillance equipment in STUK for unmanned aerial vehicles

Roy Pöllänen, Petri Smolander

STUK – Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority

Introduction

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be equipped with a number of different instruments,

which enables their use in various applications especially when manned platforms are not

appropriate. They can be safely applied for example in a severe nuclear accident to monitor

radioactive releases or to take samples from airborne materials. In the present paper we briefly

go through the work done in STUK during the past fifteen year period to develop/mount

radiation detection instrumentation to UAVs.

UAV platforms

In STUK, two types of platforms (Fig. 1) were equipped with radiation detection

instrumentation. 1) Mid-sized Ranger UAV is operated by the Finnish Defence Forces and is

mainly designed for electro-optical surveillance in military missions. Operation of Ranger is

autonomous or remotely piloted. The maximum operation distance is 150 km, maximum

operation height 4.5 km and maximum endurance 5 h. Flight speed is 100220 km/h. Take-

off is done by catapult and landing is on skids. Wing span is 5.7 m and maximum take-off

mass 270 kg. Mass of the payload is 40 kg. 2) Another type of radiation surveillance

equipment was mounted in a fixed-wing UAV known as Patria MASS mini-UAV. Mass of

the battery-driven UAV is 3 kg and payload capacity 0.5 kg. Maximum operation time is 1 h,

operating range 1020 km and optimal cruise speed 60 km/h. MASS flies fully autonomously

but manual control is also possible. Both UAV systems can send the measurement data in

real-time to the ground station.

Figure 1. Radiation detection instrumentation for Ranger (left) was mounted instead of the normal camera

equipment whereas no changes for the platform were necessary for the Patria MASS mini-UAV (right). See

http://www.stuk.fi/julkaisut_maaraykset/en_GB/stuk-ttl-

flyers/_files/88555484220687337/default/Flyer_008_Radiation_surveillance_and_UAVs.pdf

Radiation surveillance equipment

Three types of radiation detectors were mounted in Ranger. A GM counter was selected for

monitoring the external dose rate. The counter covers the dose rate range of 0.01 µSv/h 10

Sv/h. A 64 NaI(Tl) scintillation detector was for the radioactive plume localization. Large

scintillation detectors may be saturated in an active plume and to overcome this situation a

555 mm3 CZT detector was mounted inside the sampling unit. The filter cartridge contains

a paper/glass-fibre filter and a charcoal filter. Air flow through the filters is generated by the

dynamic air pressure.

Sampler

Spectrometer in

the fuselage

13

A CsI detector was mounted in the fuselage of the MASS mini-UAV for gamma-ray

detection. A light-weight sampler with flow rate of 0.2 m3/h (generated by dynamic air

pressure and using a membrane filter) was designed for radioactive particle sampling.

Testing the equipment

STUK performed laboratory tests as well as field and flight tests for the equipment. All the

detectors were tested in a laboratory to find out their performance in controlled conditions. In

the case of the equipment of Ranger, flight measurements were done with target drones and

small manned aeroplanes.

More thorough tests were performed for the equipment mounted in MASS mini-UAV. The

sampler was tested in a laboratory using a wind tunnel. Field tests were performed using a car

as a platform and by the aid of radon progeny (Fig. 2). Flight tests were successfully done

with MASS to verify operation of the sampler. For alpha-particle emitting radionuclides the

detection limits may be considerably less than 1 Bq/m3.

Laboratory tests, field tests and flight tests were also done for the CsI detector of the mini-

UAV. Unshielded 137

Cs and 60

Co point sources were used in the testing. Detection limits were

approximately 1 GBq or larger depending on the flying altitude.

Reporting

The work described above was supported by the Advisory Board of Defence (MATINE).

During 19992003 in total 18 (internal) reports/papers, 18 presentations and 5 posters were

done in which the equipment installed in Ranger were described (Kurvinen et al., 2008).

Scientific reporting was done later (Kurvinen et al., 2005). The work done for MASS was

reported in a large set of (internal) technical reports, presentations and scientific papers.

Published papers are in the reference list below.

2 samplers in free air

Figure 2. Testing operation of the MASS mini-UAV samplers using a car (left). Colored points in the right show

the estimated location of the detected point source on the ground when the CsI detector is mounted in the mini-

UAV. Black points refer to the route of the UAV during the flight test.

14

Conclusions

The goals set by STUK to develop radiation detection instrumentation for UAVs was to

investigate and introduce novel means to perform mapping of a radioactive plume, sampling

from the plume, fallout mapping and locating point sources. All these tasks can be performed

using the equipment described above.

References and publications

Kurvinen K, Pöllänen R, Valmari T, Kettunen M., 2000. Unmanned aerial vehicles in real-

time radiation surveillance. Proceedings of the NBC 2000 symposium on nuclear, biological

and chemical threats in the 21st century. Helsinki University of Technology, 13-15 June 2000,

Espoo, Finland.

Kurvinen K, Pöllänen R, Valmari T, Kettunen M., 2001. Säteilyn tiedustelu kauko-

ohjattavasta lennokista. Maanpuolustuksen tieteellinen neuvottelukunta, Raporttisarja B,

2001/3. (in Finnish)

Kurvinen K, Pöllänen R, Smolander P, Kettunen M., 2002. Radiation surveillance equipment

for unmanned aerial vehicle. Extended abstract in the Proceedings of the XXXVI Annual

Conference of Finnish Physical Society, Joensuu, March 14-16, 128.

Kurvinen K, Smolander P, Pöllänen R, Kuukankorpi S, Lyytinen J, Kettunen M., 2005.

Design of a radiation surveillance unit for an unmanned aerial vehicle. Journal of

Environmental Radioactivity 81, 1–10.

Kurvinen K, Smolander P, Pöllänen R, Lyytinen J, Kettunen M., 2008. Säteilytiedustelu

miehittämättömästä Ranger ilma-aluksesta. MATINE Sarja A, 2008/2. Helsinki:

Puolustusministeriö: Maanpuolustuksen tieteellinen neuvottelukunta MATINE; 2008. (in

Finnish)

Peräjärvi K, Lehtinen J, Pöllänen R, Toivonen H., 2008. Design of an air sampler for a small

unmanned aerial vehicle. Radiation Protection Dosimetry 132, 328–333.

Pöllänen R, Kurvinen K, Valmari T, Kettunen M., 1999. Radiation monitoring development

using unmanned aerial vehicles. Abstracts of 1999 completed research projects sponsored by

the Scientific Advisory Board for Defence (MATINE).

Pöllänen R, Kurvinen K, Valmari T, Kettunen M., 2001. Employment of an unmanned aerial

vehicle in radiation surveillance. Abstracts of research projects Completed in the year 2000.

Scientific Advisory Board for Defence, Report Series B, 2001/2.

Pöllänen R., 2008. Pää pilvissä mutta jalat maassa. Säteilyä voidaan havainnoida lennokilla.

ALARA 2008; (2): 20–21. (in Finnish)

Pöllänen R, Toivonen H, Peräjärvi K, Karhunen T, Rintala K., 2008. Radiation surveillance

using an unmanned aerial vehicle. In: Book of Abstracts. Hazards - Detection & Management.

5th

Dresden Symposium. 2008 Marh 3-7, Dresden, Germany. p. 33.

15

Pöllänen R, Toivonen H, Peräjärvi K, Karhunen T, Ilander T, Lehtinen J, Rintala K,

Katajainen T, Niemelä J, Juusela M., 2009. Radiation surveillance using an unmanned aerial

vehicle. Applied Radiation and Isotopes 67, 340–344.

Pöllänen R, Toivonen H, Peräjärvi K, Karhunen T, Smolander P, Ilander T, Lehtinen J,

Rintala K, Katajainen T, Niemelä J, Juusela M, Palos T., 2009. Performance of an air sampler

and a gamma-ray detector in a small unmanned aerial vehicle. Journal of Radioanalytical and

Nuclear Chemistry 282, 433–437.

Pöllänen R, Toivonen T, Peräjärvi K, Karhunen T, Smolander P, Ilander T, Rintala K,

Katajainen T, Niemelä J, Juusela M, Palos T., 2009. Sampling of airborne radionuclides and

detection of ionizing radiation using an unmanned aerial vehicle. In: Maatela P, Korpela S

(eds.). Proceedings of the NBC2009 Symposium, 7th

Symposium of CBRNE threats, meeting

the future challenges. Jyväskylä, Finland 2009. Defence Forces Technical Research Centre,

publications 18, 129–134.

Pöllänen R, Toivonen H, Peräjärvi K, Karhunen T, Smolander P, Ilander T, Lehtinen J,

Rintala K, Katajainen T, Niemelä J, Juusela M, Palos T., 2009. Performance of an air sampler

and a gamma-ray detector in a small unmanned aerial vehicle. In: Abstracts. Eighth

International Conference on Methods and Applications of Radioanalytical Chemistry. MARC

VIII. 2009 Apr 5-10; Kona, Hawaii, USA. American Nuclear Society, p. 28.

Smolander P, Kurvinen K, Pöllänen R, Kettunen M, Lyytinen J., 2003. Real time radiation

surveillance equipment for the unmanned aerial vehicle Ranger. In: Laihia K (ed).

Proceedings of the NBC 2003 Symposium on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats - A

Crisis Management Challenge,15–18 June 2003, Jyväskylä, Finland. University of Jyväskylä,

Department of Chemistry, research report No. 98, 56–60.

Smolander P, Kurvinen K, Pöllänen R, Kettunen M, Lyytinen J., 2003. Development of a

prototype radiation surveillance equipment for a mid-sized unmanned aerial vehicle. In: Paile

W (ed.). Radiation protection in the 2000s – theory and practice. Proceedings of the XIII

ordinary meeting, August 25-29, 2002, Turku/Åbo, Finland. STUK-A195, 198–202.

16

Considerations in the development of small UARS – Unmanned Aircraft Radiometric

Systems

Magnus Gårdestig

Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Medical and Health Sciences,

Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. magnus.gardestig@liu.se

Introduction

Linköping University is part of the Swedish radiological and nuclear emergency expert

organization led by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority. The organization utilizes AGS

(Airborne Gamma Spectrometry), CGS (Carborne Gamma Spectrometry) and FAT (Field

Assistance Team) in the data collection efforts. In an attempt to complement these

capabilities, we develop unmanned radiometric systems. We are in the progress of developing

gamma spectrometry systems onboard unmanned aircraft systems, UAS, using a multirotor

(Gårdestig and Pettersson 2011, 2012) and a fixed wing as well as air sampling on these

platforms.

Envisaged missions

Any measurement scenario where unmanned aircraft can be used offer operation from safety

distance in respect to irradiation as well as personal safety and forensic considerations. The

envisaged main mission for the rotary wing system is localization and identification of

individual radioactive sources. With a fixed wing, with longer endurance, mapping of ground

area of fallout is possible. Both systems are intended for mapping of fallout plume by dose

rate and assessment of air concentration by air sampling.

Aerial platform

Since we are mostly interested in the measurement itself and the analysis of the resulting data,

the aerial platform itself is secondary, but to prove the concept, we had the following criteria:

cost; several systems should use the same set of equipment,

size; transportable in a standard car and portable,

complexity; limited training,

endurance; mission time and

safety.

The measuring system is independent of the aerial platform, but we have chosen to cooperate

with a vehicle developer to have a suitable platform in regards of speed and other critical

parameters.

Detectors

The aerial platforms set limitations in payload. During recent years, commercial detectors

have been developed towards rugged, lightweight and affordable detectors. CZT

spectrometers lighter than 100 g is readily available. Light CsI(Tl) spectrometers are available

and open source PMT-base multichannel analyzers are available for NaI or LaBr scintillators.

Communications

For online data presentation, communication with the aerial platform is critical. The

communication link should be independent since communications tend to be congested in

emergency situations. Communication by WiFi, analog radio, GSM, UMTS, LTE, TETRA or

Zigbee were considered.

17

Data acquisition and presentation

The spectral and position data needs to be presented and analyzed for detection, localization,

identification and quantification. This is achieved by dose rate color coded position marker in

an on-line map, spectral data in waterfall display, full spectral view or by chosen ROI.

Assessment of source activity or surface concentration is made by calibrated peak count

coefficients. The data should be stored in the XML-file format according to N42.42 (ANSI

2012).

Position accuracy

When assessing the activity the distance to the source is a key factor. GPS systems needs to

be enhanced by RTK or dGPS technology to achieve desired accuracy and precision. Other

altitude sensors are barometers, ultra sound transmitter/receiver or lasers.

Conclusions

Linköping University is in the progress of developing a spectrometry system to be carried by

a small rotary wing quadcopter and a fixed wing airplane. Both operated under the Swedish

Transport Agency license category 1B for UAS below 7 kg (Transportstyrelsen 2009, 2013).

The system will be used in the Swedish RN preparedness organization and is intended to fill a

gap between man-portable measurement systems and full-sized airborne systems,

complementing car-driven.

The system will provide footage and measurements.

The current setup is the Kromek GR-1, a CZT (10x10x10 mm) with 2% FWHM% (137

Cs), 60

g and a 2” NaI(Tl) scintillator on a Bridgeport tube base MCA, approx. 900 g. The data

acquisition is made by the small Linux-computer Raspberry Pi and communication by ZigBee

868 MHz. GPS position is acquired from the APM autopilot. The data is presented and

analyzed by a developed program and the data is stored in XML-files compatible with

N42.42.

References

ANSI (2012). American National Standard Data Format for Radiation Detectors Used for

Homeland Security, ANSI. N42.42.

Gårdestig, M. and H. B. L. Pettersson (2011). RadiaCopter – UAS Gamma Spectrometry for

Detection and Identification of Radioactive Sources. NSFS Conference, Reykjavik.

Gårdestig, M. and H. B. L. Pettersson (2012). RadiaCopter – UAS Gamma spectrometry for

detection and identification of radioactive sources. IRPA13 the 13th International Congress of

the International Radiation Protection Association, Glasgow.

Transportstyrelsen (2009). Transportstyrelsens föreskrifter om verksamhet med obemannade

luftfartyg (UAS). TSFS 2009:88. Transportstyrelsen.

Transportstyrelsen (2013). Transportstyrelsens föreskrifter om verksamhet med obemannade

luftfartyg (UAS). TSFS 2013:27.

18

19

Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Claes Meijer, Scandicraft AB, Sweden

Notes from the presentation taken by Marie Carlsson and Magnus Gårdestig

Claes Meijer is a skilled and awarded pilot and developer and customizer of unmanned

aircraft systems. He has long experience in various aspects of the world of unmanned

systems.

His presentation gave an overview of different unmanned systems in various sizes and forms.

Everything from small helicopters for fun, quadcopters used by the fire brigade, up to military

drones.

Claes has his own company in developing unmanned systems. His presentation covered the

VTOL vehicle Transformer that can switch between rotary wing and fixed wing operation in

flight. He has also developed a jet driven target for air defense training.

The rotary wing system used by Linköping University is the quadcopter SAFE that is

designed by Claes with an integrated outer rail to protect the rotors on impact as well as

material or persons from the rotors.

The fixed wing system used by Linköping University is a 2.5 m wingspan plane that is

designed by Claes to carry as much payload as possible (up to 2 kg) and be able to fly slowly

(5-10 m/s).

Figur 1. Unmanned aircraft platforms used by Linköping University. The rotary wing vehicle SAFE to the left

and the fixed wing prototype to the right. Photos by Marie Carlsson and Claes Meijer.

20

Operational considerations regarding the use of unmanned vehicles for radiation

surveillance in Finland

Petri Smolander, STUK - Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O.Box 14, FI-00881

Helsinki, Finland

UAV platforms in use of under consideration in Finland

UAV platform users can be divided in commercial operators and public sector operators.

Brief market survey did not reveal any potential commercial operators that could be used to

provide a UAV platform for radiation surveillance.

On the public sector currently only the Finnish Defense Forces (FDF) has two UAV systems

that could be used as a platform for radiation surveillance: Ranger tactical-UAV and Orbiter

II mini-UAV. Pertinent characteristics of both systems are presented in table 1. Table 1: Pertinent features of the FDF UAV platforms

Feature Ranger tactical-

UAV

Orbiter II mini-

UAV

Speed 150 kph 90 kph

Endurence 5 hrs 3-4 hrs

Payload 40 kg 1.5 kg

System complexity High Low

Deployment speed Slow Fast

Most notable differences are payload capacity and deployment speed. Ranger’s 40 kg payload

capacity enables larger and thus more sensitive detectors which enable higher flight altitudes

leading to larger surveillance footprints. On the other hand, the complexity of the Ranger

system impedes rapid response to a sudden event.

The Finnish Police and larger regional rescue departments are considering the use of small

multirotor UAVs (quadcopters, octocopters) for situational awareness in complex security

events and accidents. These can also be used as platforms if they become into use in the fore

mentioned organizations. Currently the short endurance of the small multirotor UAVs limits

their use for radiation surveillance only to small scale events.

Tethered UAVs are also considered for long endurance surveillance and monitoring mainly

for security related events. These UAVs are also usable for radiation surveillance in security

related events. Their virtually unlimited endurance and high bandwidth data link via tethering

cable are significant advantages of tethered UAVs.

Radiation surveillance mission types

Radiation surveillance missions can be divided in three main types: plume mapping, fallout

mapping and detection/location of radioactive sources.

Plume mapping is the most suited mission type for UAVs. Plume mapping is both dirty and

dangerous, thus not well suited for manned aircraft due to contamination risk of the aircraft

and the exposure of the pilot to radiation and radioactive material. UAVs also have the

contamination risk in plume mapping missions, but their smaller size and simpler structure

makes the decontamination task simpler compared to manned aircraft. In some cases the

contaminated UAV can be discarded all together due to the low cost of replacing it.

Fallout mapping can be done with manned aircrafts and in large scale radiological events they

are the most suitable platforms for the task. In smaller cases when the level of details required

or the surroundings (e.g. urban area) call for low level and slow speed flying, UAVs have the

advantage.

21

Detection and location of radioactive source(s) is also quite suitable mission type for UAVs if

the search area is small. As mentioned above the UAVs can fly lower and slower than usually

is considered safe for manned aircraft. This enables the use of very detailed and complex

search patterns. In case of rotary winged UAVs they can even hover above or land near the

source without any radiation safety risk to help marking the exact position of the source.

Confirmation of the absence of radioactive sources can be viewed as a special case of this

type of missions. Tethered UAVs would be very suitable for this type of special case missions

because they can easily provide continuous surveillance over the area of interest.

Payloads for radiation surveillance missions

Payloads for the radiation surveillance missions can be divided into three main categories:

radiation counters, spectrometers and air samplers.

Simple total radiation counters have rather simple electronics with low power consumption

which make them ideal for the smallest UAVs. Radiation counters also have low data rates

which mean that simpler, thus less power hungry, data links can be used. The level of detail of

the information total radiation counters provide is rather low, but in many cases it is enough

to establish the prevailing radiation safety situation. In the search of radioactive sources total

radiation counters are also adequate because in most cases the characteristics of the missing

source are a lower priority or already known beforehand.

Spectrometers are needed when radionuclide identification is relevant. Radionuclide

identification can be used to predict the temporal behavior of the radiation safety situation or

evaluate the significance of the detection of radioactive source (e.g. innocent detection vs.

security threat). Spectrometers are usually somewhat fragile and require more sophisticated

electronics than total radiation counters. Further on the data processing onboard or raw data

transmission to the ground station require even more elaborate electronics with larger power

consumption which means that spectrometer could not be installed to the smallest and

simplest UAVs.

Sampling is usually relevant only in plume mapping missions. The simplest air samplers that

are always collecting can be installed even to mini-UAV scale. The control of sampling

require some electromechanical components that prevent them being installed to the smallest

UAVs. The fact that sampling usually utilizes the air speed of the UAV to draw air through

the sampler makes fixed wing UAVs preferable platforms for air sampler due to their

capability for higher air speeds.

Rules of the air in Finland considering UAVs

The Finnish civil aviation regulatory authority is planning to loosen the regulations regarding

the non-recreational use of smaller remotely piloted aircrafts. In the draft national aviation

regulation the use of remotely piloted aircraft is exempted from aviation work licensing if the

following criteria is met:

• Maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is less than 25 kg.

• Flying altitudes are less than 150 m above ground level.

• Distance from the ground station (pilot) is less 500 m, the visual line of sight is

maintained unassisted and visual flight rules can be obeyed.

• The range can be extended with spotters who have duplicated two way communication

links to the pilot.

• Aircraft has means for safe termination of flight in case there is a loss of control.

• Air traffic control approval is needed for flying in controlled air space and the pilot has

a two way aeronautical radio (requires a license).

• The pilot has received training for the type of remotely piloted aerial system used.

22

• Aircraft flies more than 150 meters away from densely populated areas and large

crowds of people (police, customs, border guard and rescue services may be exempted).

If the distance from the ground station is required to be more than 500 m (without spotters) or

flying altitude is required to be higher than 150 m AGL, the flight requires a temporarily

segregated air space or the UAV must be accompanied by a chase plane. Segregation of the

airspace can be requested from the aviation regulatory authority. In all other cases the aviation

work license is required.

Criteria described above make it possible to use mini-UAV size fixed wing UAVs and

multicopters for radiation surveillance missions rather freely when maximum distance from

the ground station rule of 500 m can be obeyed. This encompasses fallout mapping after small

scale releases and detection and location of radioactive sources in small areas. The short

timescale of the dispersal of radioactive material in small scale release make plume tracking

extremely difficult due the slowness of deployment compared to the dispersal time.

Requirement of a chase plane in non-segregated air space completely negate the advantages of

the use of UAV in fallout mapping and source finding on large areas. Temporary segregation

of the airspace in most cases is difficult to justify because both mission types can be executed

with manned aircrafts. This leaves the plume mapping the only viable scenario for the large

scale events. The fact that airspace at risk of radioactive contamination is usually closed for

normal air traffic for radiation safety reasons makes the use of UAVs without chase plane in

large scale dispersal events possible.

Conclusions

Taking into consideration all the facts presented, the most viable use of UAVs for radiation

surveillance in Finland is the use of mini-UAVs and multicopters with spectrometric detectors

in small scale events.

23

NRPA’s considerations of unmanned measurements of radiation.

Thomas Bandur Aleksandersen, NRPA

Stationary unmanned systems:

After the Chernobyl accident, Radnett, a network of unmanned radiation monitoring stations

was build all across Norway. The system was upgraded and modernized between 2006 and

2008 and today boasts a total of 33 stations with at least one in every county. The purpose of

this network is to give an early warning of fallout or other nuclear incidents affecting Norway.

Further, the data collected will aid the decisions of the Crisis Committee for Nuclear

Preparedness in the early stages of a crisis.

Each station is equipped with a detector that measure dose rate (µSv/h) and a device for

measuring downpour. Dose rates are updated hourly, and automatic systems are evaluating

the measurements in regards to quantity and quality. Each station is connected to a computer

terminal at the NRPA, and alarms will go off if the readings exceed a certain limit.

The results from these stations are also published in yearly reports of radiation monitoring in

Norway. These reports as well as the hourly up to date readings are publically available on

our webpages.

Mobile unmanned systems:

To this date we got no unmanned mobile systems for radiation detection of our own or in

collaboration with other departments or agencies. The topic has been discussed over the years,

but as of yet it has not been a priority to acquire such a system for our purposes. This has

mainly been due to the fact that the cost of the systems themselves and training to operate

them has been regarded as too high in comparison to the benefits. Recently however, we’ve

seen that both the costs and training required for these systems have been going down to

acceptable levels. To investigate the matter further we joined the NKS activity SemUnaRS to

learn the current state of the art, and what others already have accomplished in this field.

24

Appendix 3 Seminar participants

Table 1. List of participants

Name Organization Country

Grann Andersson, Kasper NKS, DTU Denmark

Pöllänen, Roy STUK Finland

Smolander, Petri STUK Finland

Aleksandersen, Thomas Bandur NRPA Norway

Carlsson, Marie Linköping University Sweden

Gårdestig, Magnus Linköping University Sweden

Pettersson, Håkan Linköping University Sweden

Kock, Peder SSM Sweden

Meijer, Claes Scandicraft AB Sweden

Bibliographic Data Sheet NKS-331 Title SemUnaRS – Seminar on Unmanned Radiometric Systems

Author(s) Magnus Gårdestig1

Roy Pöllänen2

Thomas Bandur Aleksandersen3

Affiliation(s) 1Department of Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Medical

and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. 2STUK − Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland 3Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority

ISBN 978-87-7893-412-3

Date February 2015

Project NKS-B / SemUnaRS – Seminar on Unmanned Radiometric Systems

No. of pages 25

No. of tables 3

No. of illustrations 6

No. of references 43

Abstract There are several scenarios related to ionizing radiation or the release of radioactive materials where the use of unmanned vehicles certainly reduce the risk of receiving high doses to the personnel performing measurements. Other advantages are low costs of the equipment, operation, maintenance and services. The seminar on unmanned radiometric systems was held in October 2014. The seminar was dedicated to presentations on the status of unmanned mobile measurement capacities in the Nordic countries. An introduction to the topic of unmanned measurements covered some examples on systems of unmanned aerial, rotary and fixed wing, systems as well as ground based systems. A short description was given on the work of ERNCIP. Linköping University presented their considerations on their ongoing development of unmanned gamma-ray spectrometry systems and presented their rotary wing and fixed wing platforms developed by Claes Meijer.

STUK presented their experience to develop radiation monitoring instrumentation to unmanned aerial vehicles. A set of radiation detectors and a sampling unit was mounted to a mid-size Ranger military UAV. A lightweight sampler and a gamma-ray detector was installed to a small-size fixed-wing UAV. Extensive tests were done for both set of instruments. On the second day of the seminar there was time scheduled for open discussions on the way forward for Nordic collaborations regarding unmanned mobile measurements. The seminar revealed that the Nordic capacities of unmanned mobile measurements are diverse, but no country has a system operating today. Each country have different strategies on how to meet this demand; university research, military collaboration or procuring turn-key systems. There is a need for continued and concerted activities to strengthen the Nordic knowledge and capacities in the field of unmanned mobile measurements.

Key words Unmanned mobile measurements, UAS, UAV, air sampling, emergency preparedness

Available on request from the NKS Secretariat, P.O.Box 49, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark. Phone (+45) 4677 4041, e-mail nks@nks.org, www.nks.org